Program+Administrator

It's important to think of publishers as important resources for teacher-librarians.They offer author information, webinars on newly published books, and many reader incentive programs. Currently there is a Roald Dahl Reading Dahlathon through the end of December. The children keep track of their Dahl book reading progress, reader response journal (book report), their own story ideas, and more. The 18 page PDF of this would have to be color copied, which would be cost prohibitive. Although I'm sure Penguin has free copies available that could be sent.

Publisher's websites also have teacher's guides and activities. There are reading group guides of all their popular books in the form of attractive brochures, classroom discussion guides, activity kits, and book recomendations on subject-themes (e.g. Abraham Lincoln). Penguin

12/4/10 Author visits are super for motivating regular and reluctant readers. My daughter's classroom teacher knows Mary Pope Osborne and her sister who collaborate together on books, and who also live part-time in Great Barrington. They both came to the school to talk to the 3rd grade on Dec. 2nd. My daughter is still bringing up discussion points from the talk. She really enjoyed it! I've included an author visit brochure that comes from her website: Laurie Friedman who writes the Mallory series.

Just about every author has a website. The children's book authors have great site for kids to visit because they are not only informative, but there are also activities.

Joyce is so helpful on how programs can be better. SLJ Summit Oct 2010 Personal reflections by Joyce Valenza

11/9/10 This provides good working knowledge on how to select adult books for teen interest.

The House of Tomorrow
SLJ November 9th, 2010 People often ask me how I find adult books with teen appeal. There are several ways, from reading pre-pub lists and advance reviews, to attending publisher previews, to perusing bookstore shelves. One source I always check is the IndieBound Indie Next List, released on the first of each month. The IndieBound website promotes independent bookstores. Booksellers from around the country pick their favorite books of the month to included on the Next List, and each pick is accompanied by a descriptive quote. The lists include a variety of genres, both fiction and nonfiction, usually the best of the books receiving buzz as well as a few sleeper titles. I take a closer look at every title with any possibility of teen appeal. (There is also a great IndieBound app — very convenient for bookstore or library visits — as well as a monthly “Now in Paperback” list, which I use to find ideas for my adult bookgroup.) Taking a look at the November 2010 list, we have blog reviews upcoming for a few titles, including //The Wolves of Andover// by Kathleen Kent (Reagan Arthur) and //Cleopatra// by Stacy Schiff (Little, Brown). Today’s book is a first novel, and a former Indie Next pick. Even better, I hear from trusted librarian colleagues (and via more than one listserv comment) that it is a favorite among readers. Having read it myself — I think it is a perfect example of a book published for the adult market that could have been been published as a young adult novel.
 * BOGNANNI**, Peter. //The House of Tommorrow//. unpaged. Amy Einhorn. 2010. Tr $24.95. ISBN 978-0-399-15609-0. LC 2009023543. [[image:http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/adult4teen/files/2010/11/House-of-Tomorrow-e1289145094393.jpg width="77" height="114" align="right" caption="The House of Tomorrow" link="http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/adult4teen/files/2010/11/House-of-Tomorrow-e1289145094393.jpg"]]
 * Adult/High School**–This lively, funny, and sometimes touching fish-out-of-water tale will appeal to teens who love punk music, quirky characters, and slightly oddball situations. Sebastian is a 16-year-old who has been homeschooled in a geodesic dome in rural Iowa by his grandmother, a Buckminster Fuller devotee. When his grandmother has a stroke, he meets the Whitcomb family: mother Janice, who leads a somewhat out-of-control church youth group; Jared, a sarcastic chain-smoking heart-transplant recipient, and Meredith, a sexy, funny, and mean teenage femme fatale. Sebastian’s introduction, via Jared, to punk music; via Janice, to things like grilled-cheese sandwiches and grape soda; and via Meredith, to the stirrings of lust, cause him to start questioning his grandmother’s ideas for the first time. This is a beautifully written, wonderfully realized, and refreshingly unique coming-of-age story.–//Sarah Flowers, formerly of Santa Clara County Public Library, CA//